The Lawyer's Guide to Strategic Practice Management (2nd edition)

This new and updated edition of The Lawyer's Guide to Strategic Practice Management provides law firm leaders with the very latest guidance and market knowledge on how to improve and refine current management strategies in order to thrive and compete in today's legal marketplace.

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Could you benefit from expert guidance on how to stay competitive and streamlined in a legal marketplace that is increasingly competitive?

Law firms are finding it harder to adapt quickly to a legal landscape that is constantly evolving. That's why it's imperative for law firm leaders to recognise and respond to this change in order to stay competitive.

While the economy has improved, key challenges from the recession remain. Clients are more demanding, reducing cost is as important as it ever was, and firms realise that operational efficiency is crucial to gaining small but important margins. In this market, those small margins can be game-changers for large and small firm alike.

This new and updated edition of The Lawyer's Guide to Strategic Practice Management equips law firm leaders with the very latest guidance and market knowledge on how to improve and refine current management strategies in order to thrive and compete in today's legal marketplace.

From the latest developments in technology and AI, how to improve your firm's coverage on LinkedIn to increasing motivation to act on cross-selling opportunities, this guide is an amalgamation of guidance from the most talked-about thought leaders in the legal sphere.

The second edition contains 6 new sections all complete with new chapters for this edition, covering: law firm strategy; market and client development; people and talent management; finance and pricing; optimisation and technology; and legal skills and business development.

Authors

Viv Williams

Chief Executive Officer of 360 Legal Group

John Sterling

John Sterling is Chief Marketing Officer at Sterne Kessler Goldstein &
Fox, a leading IP specialty firm based in Washington, DC. He is also the
Founding Partner of Sterling Strategies, LLC. Prior to founding Sterling
Strategies, John was a founding partner at Smock Sterling Strategic
Management Consultants. He has over 30 years of experience in strategic
management and market research.
John has worked extensively with law and other professional service
firms, as well as with industrial and consumer product companies and
not-for-profit organisations.
His work with TimeLine Theatre Company in Chicago won the
Richard Goodman Strategic Planning Award for excellence in strategic
planning from the Association for Strategic Planning.
John is past president of the Strategic Management Association in
Chicago and is a contributing editor to the business journal Strategy &
Leadership.

Patrick J. McKenna

Patrick J. McKenna is an internationally recognized author, lecturer,
strategist, and seasoned advisor to the leaders of premier professional
service firms. His published articles have appeared in over 50 leading
professional journals and his most notable book, First Among Equals
(2002), topped bestseller lists in the US, Canada and Australia and
has been translated into nine languages. He was recently voted by the
readers of Legal Business World as one of only seven international Thought
Leaders (2017).

David H. Freeman

Chief Executive Officer of David Freeman Consulting Group

Chrissie Lightfoot

CEO of EntrepreneurLawyer Limited

Robert Pay

Patrick J Lamb

Patrick Lamb is founding partner of ElevateNext Law, LLP, and vice
president of Elevate Services, Inc. Pat and his long-time partner Nicole
Auerbach founded ElevateNext Law in 2018 to provide legal services
in alignment with Elevate Services, a global law company. The unique
arrangement armed ElevateNext with global capabilities and a wide
array of additional tools to utilize in crafting solutions for its customers.
ElevateNext allows Elevate to offer its customers services that include
practice of law areas it previously had to defer to other law firms. Pat
has been a long-time innovator in the delivery of legal services. Having
launched Valorem Law Group in January 2008, Pat became the leading
voice for alternative fee structures in all types of legal matters, including
complex business litigation. Valorem has been recognized by clients and
others as one of the leading AFA firms in the country. Pat pioneered the
essential relationship between alternative fees and client service, and
has long argued that alternative fees are but one of several essential tools
that should be deployed to serve clients. Pat has been recognized four
times as a BTI Consulting Client Service All-Star MVP, and Valorem has
been named six times a member of the BTI Client Service A-Team.
Pat remains an active practicing lawyer but now is devoting considerable
attention to designing solutions for customer issues that help avoid
litigation and disputes. He has tried numerous cases around the country
and draws on his long experience as a litigator and trial lawyer to design
effective solutions. He is in great demand as a speaker, at both public
and private events. He is a prolific writer, including his periodic column
for the ABA Journal’s award-winning New Normal section and his blog, In Search of Perfect Client Service, www.patrickjlamb.com. His latest book,
Alternative Fee Arrangements for Litigators and their Clients, was published
by the ABA in 2014. He can be found on Twitter at @ElevateLamb.

Andrew Hedley

Andrew Hedley works with the leaders of law firms on issues of vision, strategy, and change. He established Hedley Consulting in 2005 after almost a decade as the business development director of two UK top 20 international law firms. His practice is recognised as a leading boutique strategy consultancy within the legal sector.
Andrew is a recognised expert in the field of law firm mergers. Whilst working within private practice he was a member of a small strategy group tasked with pursuing M&A opportunities which led to the execution of a number of significant mergers as well as numerous early-stage negotiationsand evaluations. He has carried this expertise through to his consultancy practice and now advisesfirms at all stages of the merger process – from creating initial strategy, to candidate firm identification and evaluation, through the full negotiation and business case development process and, finally, postcompletion implementation strategy and delivery.

Adam Billing

Adam Billing is the founder of Treehouse Innovation (www.treehouseinnovation.com). He works with leading corporate and professional service organisations, helping them to develop new products, services, and strategy, and to build their own internal innovative capacity.

Robert Pay

ROBERT PAY started his career in London where he first worked in advertising as an account manager for a number of multinational clients. He then moved to Deloitte Haskins & Sells as marketing manager for the banking and securities practice both for the UK and the international firm; it was here that he first got involved in key relationship management for US, UK, and Japanese banks. He was then recruited by Clifford Chance to establish its first marketing function and set up a key relationship program, the first in a major law firm.
Robert then served at the London Stock Exchange as head of marketing where he partnered with investment banks to develop a successful campaign to compete with NYSE and Nasdaq for international IPO business; he also launched and served on the board of Aim, working with regional and national legal and accounting firms to promote this successful growth companies market. He then became managing director of Jaffe Europe, working with a wide range of law, accounting, and consulting firms, largely on client relationship and satisfaction programs. Moving in-house, he then led the marketing functions of BSI Management Systems, a global certification body, and international law firm Taylor Wessing LLP.
Based in New York since 2008, he currently works for Alvarez & Marsal LLC, a global professional services firm best known for restructuring and performance improvement. He is also an associate of InfiniteSpada and Z/Yen Group.
Robert is a graduate of Oxford University where he majored in history. He has an MBA (distinction) from Cass Business School, City University, London; he holds a UK Market Research Society Diploma (distinction); and is a certified business coach. He is fluent in French, German, and Spanish. He has designed and implemented key relationship programs for accountants, lawyers, and consultants, and in financial institutions. He is contactable at robert@robertpayconsulting.com.

Heidi K. Gardner

Heidi K. Gardner, PhD, is a distinguished fellow in the Center on the Legal Profession at Harvard Law School. Her research focuses on leadership and collaboration in professional services firms. She has authored or co-authored more than 50 book chapters, case studies, and articles in scholarly and practitioner journals, including the Academy of Management Journal, Administrative Science Quarterly, and Harvard Business Review. Her first book Leadership for Lawyers: Essential Strategies for Law Firm Success was co-edited with Rebecca Normand-Hochman (2015) and her latest book Smart Collaboration: How Professionals and Their Firms Succeed by Breaking Down Silos was published in 2017 by Harvard Business Press. Heidi works extensively with professional services firms and in-house professional departments in corporations around the globe. In addition to advising senior leadership teams, boards, and executive committees on strategic issues, she has addressed more than 10,000 professional firm partners in more than 20 countries on the theme of smart collaboration. Heidi has lived and worked on four continents, including positions with McKinsey & Co. and Procter & Gamble, and as a Fulbright Fellow. Presently she serves on the board of directors for The Second Step, a non-profit agency in the Boston area focusing on survivors of domestic violence.

Danny Ertel

Danny Ertel is a founding partner of Vantage Partners LLC, a spin-off of the Harvard Negotiation Project, where his practice focuses on helping organizations negotiate, manage, and (when necessary) remediate their most important commercial relationships. Danny has written four books, the latest of which is The Point of the Deal: How to Negotiate when Implementation Matters. Danny was previously a partner at Conflict Management, Inc., a senior researcher at the Harvard Negotiation Project, an attorney with Debevois & Plimpton, and a clerk to the Hon. Justice Harry A. Blackmun of the US Supreme Court.

Lisa B. Horowitz

Founder and principal advisor, Attorney Talent Strategy Group, LLC

Arthur G. Greene

Principal, Boyer Greene LLC

Patricia Wheatley Burt

Patricia Wheatley Burt (PWB) has been consulting and advising in this sector for over 20 years. Projects include mergers, acquisitions, lateral hires, re-structuring leading to partner development, performance and remuneration management, and other business-focused services. She develops and delivers valuable interpersonal skills programmes, and leadership and management programmes
Patricia Wheatley Burt is an experienced researcher: she has undertaken extensive research into the role of a MP and on leadership of which key information is provided in this report
She is also a regular contributor for professional journals and is the author of Leadership in Law Firms (after the Legal Services Act, December 2010), The Role of the Managing Partner in a Law Firm (2006), Profitable Performance Management (2005), and The Role of the Law Firm Partner (first edition, 2012).

Harry P. Trueheart

Harry Trueheart is the chairman emeritus of Nixon Peabody LLP. Before
this, he served as chairman, managing partner and CEO of the firm; he
is also immediate past chair and CEO of TerraLex, a global network
of more than 150 leading business law firms with more than 19,000
lawyers in 100 countries. Under Mr. Trueheart’s leadership, Nixon
Peabody grew to be a national and international firm with offices in
major US and international markets. He led Nixon Peabody to be recognized
as a Fortune 100 Best Place to Work. His law practice has focused
on dispute resolution, particularly arbitration of international business
disputes. He is a Fellow of the College of Commercial Arbitrators, a
Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, and an arbitrator for
the American Arbitration Association, for which he has also served on
ICDR panels. He serves as a mediator for a Federal Court administered
mediation program.

Patrick J Lamb

Patrick Lamb is founding partner of ElevateNext Law, LLP, and vice
president of Elevate Services, Inc. Pat and his long-time partner Nicole
Auerbach founded ElevateNext Law in 2018 to provide legal services
in alignment with Elevate Services, a global law company. The unique
arrangement armed ElevateNext with global capabilities and a wide
array of additional tools to utilize in crafting solutions for its customers.
ElevateNext allows Elevate to offer its customers services that include
practice of law areas it previously had to defer to other law firms. Pat
has been a long-time innovator in the delivery of legal services. Having
launched Valorem Law Group in January 2008, Pat became the leading
voice for alternative fee structures in all types of legal matters, including
complex business litigation. Valorem has been recognized by clients and
others as one of the leading AFA firms in the country. Pat pioneered the
essential relationship between alternative fees and client service, and
has long argued that alternative fees are but one of several essential tools
that should be deployed to serve clients. Pat has been recognized four
times as a BTI Consulting Client Service All-Star MVP, and Valorem has
been named six times a member of the BTI Client Service A-Team.
Pat remains an active practicing lawyer but now is devoting considerable
attention to designing solutions for customer issues that help avoid
litigation and disputes. He has tried numerous cases around the country
and draws on his long experience as a litigator and trial lawyer to design
effective solutions. He is in great demand as a speaker, at both public
and private events. He is a prolific writer, including his periodic column
for the ABA Journal’s award-winning New Normal section and his blog, In Search of Perfect Client Service, www.patrickjlamb.com. His latest book,
Alternative Fee Arrangements for Litigators and their Clients, was published
by the ABA in 2014. He can be found on Twitter at @ElevateLamb.

Toby Brown

Director of Strategic Pricing and Analytics, Akin Gump

Vincent Cordo

Global sourcing officer at Shell

V. Mary Abraham

Founder of Broadli Inc.

Catherine Alman MacDonagh, JD

Catherine is a former corporate counsel and law firm executive. She now teaches and provides training and consulting services with a focus on marketing and business development, strategy, process improvement, project management, and operational and process excellence. In her practice, FIRM Guidance, she serves as “trusted advisor to the trusted advisors,” whether training, coaching, or developing competitive advantages. She is also Chief Enthusiasm Officer of Mocktails LLC, which offers experiential networking training programs, including The Legal Mocktail. A Legal Lean Sigma® Black Belt and a certified Six Sigma Green Belt, Catherine is the CEO and a Founder of the Legal Lean Sigma Institute, which offers consulting and the first and only process improvement and project management certifications, courses, and workshops designed specifically for the legal profession.
Catherine is an adjunct professor at Suffolk Law School and at George Washington University (Master’s in Law Firm Management) and a frequent guest lecturer at other academic institutions. She is the author of Lean Six Sigma for Law Firms and the co-author of The Woman Lawyer's Rainmaking Game and The Law Firm Associate's Guide to Personal Marketing and Selling Skills. She is a contributing author to six books: Redefining Matter Management: A Best Practice Guide to Improving Processes and Profitability; The Lawyer’s Guide to Project Management; The Bigger Picture: Driving Client Value Through Collaboration; The Lawyer’s Guide to Process Improvement; and The Procurement Handbook.
Catherine is a founder of both the Coalition of Professional Services Providers and the Legal Sales and Service Organization, which presents the annual LSSO’s RainDance Conference. Honors and awards Catherine has received include: Fellow, College of Law Practice Management; Legal Marketing Association Hall of Fame (the association’s highest honor); Boston Business Journal’s 40 Under 40; two years on the prestigious MLF 50 (Marketing the Law Firm Top 50) List; and several Legal Marketing Association Your Honor Awards.

John Alber

John Alber serves as Futurist for the International Legal Technology Association and for the Institute for the Future of Law Practice. He writes, speaks and consults on the need to reshape the delivery of legal services to suit a future demanding excellence far beyond substantive legal skills.
John has served as a transportation industry CEO, as a practicing attorney and as a law firm leader. During his 16 year tenure as Bryan Cave’s Strategic Innovation Partner, that firm came to be recognized as one of the most innovative law firms in the world. While at Bryan Cave, he also served for 7 years on the firm's Operating Group (its management committee).
At Bryan Cave, John created one of the first practice economics consulting groups, one of the first client facing software development groups, and one of the first in-firm legal process outsourcing (LPO) organizations. The groups he created developed innovative web-based, client-centric applications that delivered legal advice to clients, managed complex workflows and even created pleadings automatically. They also developed client-facing knowledge management, project management, project estimation and business intelligence systems and highly technology- leveraged alternative staffing solutions for engagements of all types.
John is an Emeritus fellow of the College of Law Practice Management. He has received a number of awards, both in the legal field and in information technology generally. Among other awards, he received ILTA's first ever Premiership Award, was named American Lawyer Media’s first ever ‘Champion of Technology', was given a Lifetime Achievement Award by Law Technology News and recognized as one of the ‘Top 25 CTOs’ in the world by Infoworld. In addition, while under his leadership, Bryan Cave received recognition as a CIO Magazine ‘Top 100 Company' and was twice recognized as ILTA’s Most Innovative Firm

Clare Adshead-Grant

Founding Partner, Calista. Clare’ opinions, hints, and tips can be regularly found on her blog via twitter, and she can be contacted via email at Calista.